Clarisse and Joseph
by elsiecarson
Summary: When Clarisse and Joseph start their relationship how do things go? This story shows the initial awkwardness and then things they learn about each other that they didn't know before. Cute!
1. Watching

Clarisse sighs as she sits at her desk, in her yellow brocade suit. She is bored to the core of her being. If she has to read one more boring correspondence she will simply burst. She decides to take a break and steps out onto the terrace with her hot cup of tea. She knows Joseph, her head of security, is watching her and for once she really doesn't care at all. In fact she wants Joseph to notice her. She puts her head in her hand and places her elbow on the railing of the terrace balcony. Standing this way Clarisse knows makes her "butt", as Mia so eloquently puts it, stick out, but it isn't bothering her; she is happy with her body. She knows she looks good for her age and she wants someone, namely Joseph to notice that. Joseph already knows Clarisse is beautiful; she doesn't need to be overt for him to notice. He notices her beauty every moment of every day.

Joseph is very conscious of the fact that his Queen's rear is very close to him; it makes him very self-conscious as his black pants tighten quickly across the front. He holds his hands carefully in front of him trying to make everything inconspicuous. He's been in love with his queen from the moment he met her, but he knows they could never be together. Now here he is standing on the terrace staring at her ass. It's a perfect ass too, he thinks, just like the rest of her. She's just perfect. Stop that, you're on duty.

If Clarisse had been aware of what Joseph is thinking she would have been mortified and thrilled all at the same time. Clarisse sighs again and Joseph wonders if he should say something but Clarisse speaks up first, "Joseph, are you aware you're staring?"

"No, ma'am," Joseph says quickly. Of course he is aware he is staring! He could stare at her all day long; she is so beautiful!

"You're not a very good liar, Joseph. Your eyes seem to bore into me. I always know when you're watching me; you have very possessive eyes." Clarisse smirks though Joseph can't see her face from his vantage point. She always seems to know when Joseph is watching her even if she doesn't know he is in the room.

"I didn't know you'd noticed, ma'am. I've never been a particularly good liar; my mother caught me every time." Joseph winces. This is the first time he's mentioned his family and he is sure she'll have noticed. She did, after all, notice everything else. He thinks not continuing to talk of his family would be suspicious and so he says, "You remind me a lot of my mother, actually."

"I hope that's a good thing, Joseph. I hope I remind you of the good things in your mother and not the horrid things. I'd hate to remind you of the things you don't want to remember about your childhood." Clarisse says sarcastically.

"I assure you I only meant good things when I compared you to my mother. You remind me of her beauty, her love, kindness, and compassion that she bestowed on everyone just as you do, Clarisse." Joseph says quietly putting his hands on her shoulders and he walks up behind her rather than keeping his distance and standing by the door.

"That's very sweet, Joseph. But you praise me too highly. I really don't deserve all the praise you give me." Clarisse whispers softly. Although she is confident with her body she finds it difficult to receive compliments towards her. She has never been complimented as sweetly as she is by Joseph.

"But you do, Clarisse. You've been a better queen than anyone could ever be; you actually listen to every complaint and every request, even Rupert didn't do that." Joseph tries to make it sound plausible without giving away the fact that he worships the ground she walks on. It is difficult. She is so perfect that he often has trouble concealing his affection.

Clarisse on the other hand has just picked up on something Joseph had said earlier and she carefully broaches the subject. "Joseph, did you say that I remind you of the way your mother loved people?"

"Yes, Clarisse, I did." Joseph says very quietly. In his head he is thinking damn, she's caught on. Okay calm down, if she has: confess, and if she hasn't it's fine and you don't have to do anything at all.

"Is there anyone that I love that reminds you of your mother in particular Joseph?" Clarisse has known for awhile that Joseph loves her, but she wants to hear him say it so she could say something in response rather than initiating such a conversation. It is not proper etiquette for her to be so bold.

Damn, Joseph thinks, she has me. Now I have to confess. "Just me and your granddaughter Clarisse. I love you as much as I loved my mother and I thought I saw a spark in you too, but maybe I'm wrong. I thought you perhaps loved me as much as my mother loved me. You tell me."

"No, Joseph, you're right. You've been right all along. I do love you, but I couldn't say anything until you did or at least that was what I told myself. There's never been anyone more important to me than you and if we do start a relationship as I want to we're going to have to be careful. I don't want to become tabloid fodder; we both deserve better than that for this relationship." Clarisse speaks very quickly, but she is afraid she will chicken out before she finishes saying what she needs to say.

Joseph finds it hard to breathe for the first time in his whole life. He takes another step towards Clarisse and she takes a step back. She steps so far back that she nearly falls over the terrace balcony, but Joseph always watchful catches her as she slips. She gasps at the feeling of his arms around her waist. They've been there many times, but only when they'd been dancing in front of many people. When Clarisse looks up at Joseph they are so close to each other she can feel his breath on her face. She takes the initiative and kisses him. Joseph is taken aback but doesn't miss the chance to deepen the kiss; Clarisse's hand slips up behind Joseph's head and pulls him closer to her.


	2. Interrupted

As they straighten up they hear footsteps in Clarisse's office and they pull away very quickly. "Damn," Joseph says quietly as he returns to his regular security guard frame of mind and his regular security guard distance from her.

"Trust me that will happen a lot more than we would both like," Clarisse says shooting Joseph a small, but always elegant, and queenly smile. One of those smiles Joseph has always loved, but anything Clarisse does is lovely. It is a smile Joseph has noticed over the years has always been reserved for special members of Clarisse's family. It is nice to know he is now part of that exclusive club that gets to see Clarisse's special smiles and a more personal side of her.

"I'll just have to get used to it I suppose because I'm not going anywhere anytime in the near future. I must admit though I'm not used to the spotlight at all and I'm not sure how I'll react." Joseph says sighing at the bad timing whoever was in that office has.

"I'll teach you how to deal with the press and the spotlight; it's not hard. I'd best get back to work and see what the person who just interrupted us wants. I'm sure they're looking for me. You've kept me away from my work for far too long." Clarisse says putting her hands on Joseph's arms and kissing him on the cheek.


	3. Reality

The Queen then walks away from Joseph and back into her office. Joseph on the other hand stays on the terrace and tries to catch his breath after the events of the past few minutes. He glances into the Queen's office; after all he is her security guard, he has to make sure she hasn't escaped on him as she's tried before even though it never works. There she sits with Charlotte, her personal assistant, handing her papers to sign which she diligently reads and signs. Joseph sighs and wonders if she will ever be free from the confines of being Queen. She wasn't meant to be Queen, but her oldest son had abdicated and her youngest had died in a car accident. The only heir after her was her granddaughter Amelia, Mia, as she preferred to be called, but she is not yet old enough to take over the throne of Genovia.

The Queen finally looks up from her completed paperwork and notices that Joseph is still on the terrace. "Thank you, Charlotte. That will be all for today." Clarisse walks out to the terrace to join Joseph. "Are you coming, Joseph?" she asks cheekily. "I was going to have tea in my suite. Would you like to join me? I have the rest of the day to myself because I finished all my work early."

"Tea would be fantastic. Then maybe we can talk. We need to clarify what happened out here today. I must admit to being a little overwhelmed after everything that happened." Joseph says as he leans against the wall leading inside to Clarisse's office.

"Of course we can talk. I'd like nothing more than to do that. For pity sake, come in from the outdoors it looks like it's going to rain and I don't want you to catch cold." Clarisse says hooking her arm through Joseph's. She is always mothering everyone in the palace. Raising two boys has made her instincts for protecting people much stronger.

"A little rain might bring me back to reality. I'm not dreaming am I? I pray I'm not dreaming; I've waited for this too long. I don't want to wake up." Joseph sighs as they walk through the palace.

"I know the feeling. I've pinched myself so often in the last little while to make sure I wasn't dreaming. You're not dreaming, Joseph, I swear. This is real and I'm so glad it is. Just be happy." Clarisse says as they enter her suite.


	4. Tea

Clarisse presses the buzzer to summon one of her ladies' maids so that she could have tea. She then wanders up and down her suite waiting for someone to bring her tea. She doesn't want to sit next to Joseph on the settee just yet in case someone comes in and catches the new couple in a compromising situation. It seems like far too long for the tea tray to arrive and Clarisse doesn't relax until it does. She pours herself and Joseph each a cup of tea and then feels silly when she has to ask what he takes in his tea. She knows exactly how he likes his tea, but has somehow in the excitement of the day forgotten almost everything but being with Joseph.

"Just a splash of cream. I need little else in this blend of tea; it's very easy to drink." Joseph smiles as Clarisse passes him his tea cup and then nearly drops the irreplaceable china because his hands are shaking.

"This is a good start to our conversation isn't it? I can't remember how you take your tea and you're so nervous that you can hardly hold a tea cup. How is this ever going to work if we can't be natural with each other?" Clarisse smiles at Joseph as she watches him steady his tea cup. She stands up and sits next to him.

"Normally I can be very natural with you, but after what happened on the terrace I'm far less certain than I was this morning." Joseph sighs as he rubs his hand across his almost bald head.

Clarisse smiles sympathetically at Joseph and slips the tea cup from his grasp and leans into him. "We don't have to talk you know. We could just sit together."

"I don't know if that's any better than drinking tea and talking." Joseph is clearly struggling with this new aspect of his life.

"No one is to disturb us unless it is an absolute emergency." Clarisse says as she draws Joseph's arms around her waist. "We don't need to worry." She slips her shoes off and tucks her feet under her.

"Somehow that doesn't make me feel a whole lot better. This is not exactly comfortable for me yet, Clarisse. This has all happened very suddenly and I'm not sure I'm ready for it. It's all wonderful, but I feel like we have to talk about all this and set some boundaries or something." Both Clarisse and Joseph sigh as he finishes speaking and Clarisse knows he is right.

"The only boundary we need to set for the moment is to not let anyone else know about this, so no PDA's, okay?" Clarisse giggles at the confused look on Joseph's face. "No public displays of affection for the time being all right?"

"No of course not. The press would have a field day and you already dislike them so much I'd hate to give you another reason to not get along with them." Joseph smiles at Clarisse and starts to relax a little bit.

"I feel as if I need to tell someone, but there isn't one person I would ever trust with this information. Joseph, I want you to know that I've been waiting for a long time for a relationship like this with you, but I'll wait as long as it takes for both of us to be absolutely comfortable with us being a couple." Clarisse says as Joseph opens his arms a little more and allows her to cuddle in closer to him.


	5. Why Didn't We Realize?

Joseph sighs. Now that they've gotten the first few awkward moments alone together over with his nervousness is almost entirely gone. "I've waited a long time for this too, Clarisse. I don't want to ever spend another moment not like this with you. It would drive me nuts knowing how things can be between us to not be a couple."

"We should have realized ages ago how much we loved each other. I think it was obvious in San Francisco or at least I thought I was being as obvious as possible about my feelings. I stopped wearing black all because of you, you know. I would never have done it for anyone else but you and I would never have danced the dance that we did with anyone but you. That dance was so special to me and the dance at the Independence Day Ball was special too. It was the first time we danced in public together since Rupert's death and it was important to me. You allowed me to keep living after Rupert and Phillippe's deaths when no one else would and I realize now that you wanted me to keep living because you wanted us to be a couple. It doesn't matter what your motivation was at the time. Your advice and compassion meant the world to me." Clarisse turns Joseph's face towards hers and is surprised to see tears dripping down his face. "Joseph, what's wrong? I didn't mean to make you cry. I wanted you to be happy that you were such a big influence in my life."

"I only hoped that you had listened to what I said and thought about it. I never thought that you had actually done all those things because it was me that said them. You're so special, Clarisse. I only tried to make you realize that again. You'd gotten so depressed after Rupert died and it was something I didn't understand because he'd been horrible to you. Why were you grieving so deeply for a man who had married you and created two children and then left you to fend for yourself in the world of royalty?"

"I was grieving for the father of my children, not my husband. He wasn't my husband by the time he died. I wasn't the last person to see him, his mistress was. He'd been forced to marry me, Joseph. I wasn't his first choice, but his first choice was unacceptable because at the time royalty had to marry virgins and the woman he loved was not. I met her a couple of times before Rupert and I got married. Rupert wanted Alice and me to be best friends. We went for lunch just Alice and I and she asked if I planned on going hunting or camping with Rupert and I said no because I think hunting is cruel and I don't see the point of sleeping on the ground in a tent if I don't have to. I saw a sparkle in her eyes and I knew that was how Alice was going to hold onto Rupert and sure enough every time Rupert and the boys went camping they'd come back and say we had a lovely time with dad and Alice. When Rupert was dying I invited Alice here to say goodbye. You met her that day. I wasn't cruel enough to not allow her to say goodbye, besides it was one of Rupert's last requests before he lost his speech. I even allowed her to come to his funeral. I seated her in a discreet corner of the chapel and she came back to the palace and signed a confidentiality agreement for me. The public will never know that Rupert and Alice were lovers for almost thirty years." Clarisse stops and wipes away a silent tear that has fallen down her face. "Despite all Rupert's faults I did love him though I still couldn't tell you why. He did nothing to deserve my love and after the boys were born he gave me permission to take a lover. Perhaps I should have taken his advice." Clarisse lays her head on Joseph's shoulder. She is so comfortable with Joseph she could have told him everything that has ever happened to her.

"How many nights over the course of your marriage did you spend by yourself? It doesn't sound like Rupert spent very much time with you. Maybe you should have taken a lover Clarisse. I certainly would have been willing along with about half of Genovia."

"I stopped counting how many nights Rupert and I spent apart, but it was too many. We probably spent a grand total of a month sleeping in the same bed. After that he went back to his mistress. It was easier for him; it was a no strings attached relationship throughout because he died a married man. Now, enough, let's talk of happier things: like us. So when do we go on our first date? It will have to be discreet, but I'm not going to go without actually going out and dating you." Clarisse looks cheekily at Joseph.

"You actually want to consider dating outside the palace walls, are you crazy? That is just inviting media attention which is something neither of us are very comfortable with. Why don't we just go on dates within the palace? We can go boating and swimming and we can have dinner and play pool and watch movies. What else would you want to do outside the palace?" Joseph pulls Clarisse very close and kisses the top of her head.

"I don't want to have to hide this relationship Joseph. I'm not married any more, Amelia is almost ready to take over the crown and the only people who would object to the match are people I don't care about anyways. You are more important than anything else, but perhaps you're right. Until Mia takes the throne only dates inside the palace, okay?"


	6. Secrets

Joseph secretly breathes a sigh of relief. He doesn't want to have to deal with the press until he is absolutely ready. "That's fine with me, Clarisse. I might even cook for you one evening."

Clarisse's eyes widen with shock. "I didn't know you could cook. Who in the world taught you to cook? I never thought a big, tough, gun-toting man like you would know one of the feminine attributes."

"I know how to sew too." Joseph says by way of shocking Clarisse a bit more. "I grew up with two older sisters in Spain and we all had to pull our weight. We all learned the same things and my uncle taught me a couple of trades. I like to do some woodworking in my spare time, but I also like to make jewellery. I made my sisters' wedding bands for them. Anything else you want to know while we're making confessions?" Joseph smiles as Clarisse passes him a cookie.

"Do you have any tattoos?" Clarisse asks sheepishly. "I heard through the gossip chain that you have a couple, but I've never been bold enough to ask."

"I have four: one on my lower back, one on my upper back, one on my ankle and one on my chest."

"Can I see?" Clarisse is almost embarrassed to ask, but she is curious.

Joseph looks at Clarisse and grins. "Cheeky," he said as he slips his shirt off revealing three of his four tattoos. The one on his chest is a Celtic cross symbolizing his Catholic faith. The one on his lower back is a single red rose. This tattoo intrigues Clarisse. Roses are her favourite flower. The one on his upper back is a crown. Interesting, Clarisse thinks, two out of the three tattoos I've seen so far have pertained to me somehow. Joseph sits back down and raises the leg of his pants and shows her the tattoo on his ankle: it is an old-fashioned compass.

"What do they mean?" Clarisse asks as she traces the crown tattoo on Joseph's back.

"The crown is to remind me of whom I'm working for, that there is someone more important than me. The cross is obvious; it's for my faith. The rose is for you; it's the most recent one. I got it so I'd always have a little piece of you with me no matter where I go and it reminds me of how beautiful and delicate you are and the compass on my ankle keeps me on track in life. I thought for a while that it was broken, but I think I'm finally on the right path." Joseph looks at Clarisse as a tear slips down her face.

"They're beautiful Joseph. When did you get the rose tattoo?" Clarisse asks as she leans into Joseph's arms and runs her hands up and down his arms.

"I got the rose tattoo when we got back from San Francisco. Now what about you, any piercings I should know about?" Clarisse smirks as Joseph spoke. "What's so funny?"

"It's odd that you should ask me that. The day that Mia and I went through San Francisco together she persuaded me to get my belly button pierced when she got hers done. Heaven knows I would never do it again because it hurt so much, but I went along with it at the time and when it healed I actually thought it looked quite nice." Clarisse bends her head towards her chest and tries not to look at Joseph. She is a bit embarrassed. It's not something a lady of her age should be doing.

"C'mon, let's see then. I think it's great." Joseph says as he laughs at the look on Clarisse's face and slips his shirt back on. Clarisse is a bit disappointed at this last action.

Clarisse slowly lifts the hem of her blazer and pulls the waistband of her skirt down a little. There in the center of her navel is proudly displayed a sparkly purple stoned belly ring. "It's cute." Joseph says as he leans in a little to have a good look. "It's nice to know the queen has a little bit of a bad side."

"A bad side. Good grief, Joseph, I have nothing of the kind. The worst thing I've ever done is trying to escape from palace security. You know that as well as I do. You're such a tease. The only bad or naughty thing I've done is flirt with you and even that is not that naughty except that sometimes I flirted with you in public." Clarisse says as she blushes.

"Alright, it's nice to know you rebel every once in a while though. Where do we go from here? I don't want to push this, but I always like to have a plan as you well know." Joseph fidgets slightly as he speaks.

"I simply can't tell you now because I simply don't know. For tonight, I know that I go to my bed and you to yours. Perhaps later in the relationship we can think about intimacies and the logistics, but for now I just want to enjoy your company."

"At some point we do need to figure things out, but you're right this is a time we should enjoy. Why don't we watch a movie? You can pick." Joseph says as he puts his feet up on the coffee table.

"Let's watch My Fair Lady." Clarisse says as she stands up and moves to the other sofa. "It's one of my favourite musicals."

"All right. I must admit I've never seen it, but I've always wanted to." Joseph says as he comes over, switches on the TV, puts the DVD in and comes and sits next to Clarisse.

As the movie ends and Clarisse's face shines with tears Joseph looks down at Clarisse and says, "That story is a bit like ours, isn't it? Is that why you like it because it was something you hoped for for us?"

"I like it because it gives me hope for the world." Clarisse says quietly. "But you're right it is a little bit like our story. I hope our ending isn't as ambiguous as that."

"Well, if you know the back story for my fair lady, Pygmalion, is not ambiguous at all. Eliza and Henry get married and eventually have a daughter named Margaret." Joseph says looking down at Clarisse.

"Joseph I didn't know that you were well acquainted with classical literature." Clarisse says surprised at Joseph's knowledge.

"I did graduate from university. My mother wanted me to have some higher education. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I remember certain things because I really liked the professor for my English classes." Joseph explains.

"Did you have a female English professor?" Clarisse asks quizzically. Somehow she thinks he would have paid more attention to his female professors.

"No, I didn't, as it so happens. My English professor's name was Tim and he enjoyed teaching English and he was enthusiastic. It made the classes super easy and enjoyable. I should write to him and let him know. Professors always appreciate praise." Joseph glances at his watch. He didn't realize it was so late. "I should get to bed. We don't want rumours to start already because we spent so much time together tonight."

"Good night, Joseph. Thank you for the lovely evening. I love you and no matter what happens in the next few days promise me you won't forget that." Clarisse says clinging to Joseph for a moment more.

"I won't forget. I love you too, Clarisse, very much indeed. I'll see you tomorrow." Joseph kisses Clarisse's cheek before he walks out the door of her suite with a huge smile on his face.


End file.
